Objective
Endocrine disrupting compounds, originating from agriculture or industry, accumulate in the environment. Ingested by food and water, they represent a potential threat to health and reproduction of farm animals. Because almost all reproductive functions depend directly or indirectly on hormone action, it is very likely that endocrine active compounds affect fertility and reproduction. Present Concerted Action, which has been prepared and organized during the Euroconference 'Effects of Environmental Pollutants on Reproduction' and 3 meetings in 1997, brings together 9 European laboratories. The objective is to reach a consensus on harmonized experimental protocols, standardized analysis of the endocrine disrupting compounds investigated and to exchange biological specimens for concerted use and investigation in the partner's laboratory with the highest skills on the required experimental technique. Standardization of experiments and exchange of knowledge and methodologies are the prime objectives of the Project.
The Partners will concentrate on defined critical phases of female reproduction, i.e. On follicular development, oocyte maturation and fertilization, oviduct and uterine function, early embryo development, gastrulation, foetal sexual differentiation and foetal-placental interactions. For each parameter studied, at least one of the Partners has an international reputation, as proven by publication and experimental track record. The compounds to be investigated have been limited to organochloride pesticides, PCB, alkylphenols, phthalate esters and phytooestrogens. The species studied are cattle, sheep, goat and the rabbit. The Concerted Action was initiated to standardize tissue sample collection and analytical assays. For the first time, 9 European laboratories will be performing experiments on the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds on various aspects of female reproductive health, all studies being funded from external sources outside the Project, will measure the concentration of the compounds in the various biological specimens in the same accredited laboratory which is a Partner laboratory. Beside concentration, focus will be on the metabolization of the studied compounds, a biological process often overlooked up to now. The endocrine activity will be monitored in in vitro and in vivo tests in another Partner's laboratory. Bioaccumulation of endocrine disrupting compounds on one hand and the impact on reproductive health on the other will be studied in in vivo experiments in cattle and sheep by application via food or drinking water. Uptake, retention, degradation, modification and excretion of these compounds and their effects on the reproductive performance of the exposed ruminants will be determined. In in vitro experiments, allowing defined exposure to the endocrine active compounds, effects on follicular and oocyte development, sperm fertilizing capacity and fertilization in vitro will be studied. Preimplantation embryos, either being exposed in vitro or in vivo, will be investigated for the expression of target genes, such as genes coding for chromatin organi.sation or Ah-receptor expression in blastocysts and during gastrulation. Oviductal and uterine epithelial cells will be treated in vitro and studied for possible adverse effects regarding morpholgy and function. Gonadal and hypothalamic sexual differentiation of foetuses, originating from exposed pregnant ewes, and foetal-placental interactions during pregnancy in goats will complete our understanding of the effects of environmental pollutants on critical functions of reproductive health in farm animals.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processesdrinking water treatment processes
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencessocial biomedical sciencessexual health
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineobstetrics
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandry
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineembryology
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Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CON - Coordination of research actionsCoordinator
06097 HALLE SAALE
Germany